INTERVIEW #19: FEATURING DIANELIX RIVERA

One of the best things about growing a community around #Latinaherstory and #latinasinbusinessNY is that I meet amazing women who continue to inspire me. They take risks and risk-taking is something that, I didn’t know I didn’t like. I’ve become a little bolder, drawing on the strength of their “formation” stories that we share at our events. We all get together after eating and talking and make deliberate space to share our stories. I used the word “deliberate space”, and I am going to come back to that. How do you build deliberate space? You respectfully show an individual that you are in whatever capacity that looks like to you. To us, it looks like sitting in a circle and giving each other eye contact and no phones. Organically sometimes Latinas build deliberate spaces to share like – Noche de damas – at church but most of the time we can’t economically afford the time it takes to build deliberate spaces. Because you must pause.

That needs to change, we need to embrace change and build deliberate space around the people and the ideas we support. And in those spaces with your colleagues or with your elders or sisters, give each other space to be flawed, to speak Spanglish, to not know, and most of all to be ambitious. Our community has a rich history in the United States and some of that history frames the ending of marijuana prohibition differently for us. As a result, we need to build deliberate spaces to learn about what this means for our community both from an economic perspective and social justice perspective. Marijuana prohibition impacted the lives of the children whose family members were prosecuted under its law. One such child has now grown into a beautiful strong Puerto Rican woman, and she has decided, properly, to use the end of marijuana prohibition in the United States to her economic benefit. If that’s not economic restorative justice I don’t know what is. She’s braved, her name is Dianelix Rivera and she is the CEO and owner of Loud Sirnez Cannabis Fashion Boutique. Why is this important?  She is not looking to cut even for the impacts that marijuana prohibition marked on her family’s economy, she’s looking to overcome economically and form a new future.

Loud Sirnez Cannabis Fashion Boutique is loud proud and sharing information about the positive and medicinal effects of Cannabis. Resistance can be an outfit and Dianlex knows that. Restorative Justice is defined as Restorative justice is a response to wrongdoing that prioritizes repairing harm. It can be defined in three action terms: Encounter, Repair, and Transform. As a community, we know that persecuting someone for the possession of a plant that has been used for thousands of years as medicinal is wrong (encounter), we know the policies that were shaped to enforce marijuana prohibition were unjust in that they specifically targeted communities of color; we know that to reverse these racist policies we need people impacted by those racist policies at the table (repair), we know we need to transform our understanding of Marijuana.

Dianelix Rivera is a pioneer. She is less than thirty years old, a student of the world, the oldest of four children, and a Latina whose Puerto Rican heritage inspired her to be unafraid of the unknown. Maria upturned her life, and Covid impacted her, as a student she has had successes and gained perspective. At present, she is also enrolled in a program for small businesses at our SBA at SUNY Buffalo State College.

Ageism is defined as prejudice or discrimination on the grounds of a person’s age. We must accept two things as a community (1) cannabis is now legal and a source of economic opportunity (2) young people will lead the way. Statistically, Latinas will grow the marijuana, but will not be afforded a seat at the table to discuss it.

INTERVIEW:

1. Where were you born and what were the values in your home? I was born and raised in Puerto Rico predominantly by my single mother of four (4). I was the oldest and our values consisted of family unity, humility, and hard work. My momma worked a lot and was an example of perseverance and taught me, in combination with my own experiences, to never give up. Her determination in raising a family with limited support through also pursuing a professional career as a pharmacy technician and studying to be a nurse while also providing was very inspiring and taught me lots of strength and gratitude. 
2. What was your experience like as a student?  I consider myself more a student of life than traditional schooling systems. Theoretical learning takes special discipline; however, I have found that in my experience, I have learned more through the mastery of following my path.  My educational resources vary, I was in pursuit of my bachelor’s degree in Communications & Journalism at the University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla, however, did not get the opportunity to finish the program due to my moving to Buffalo after losing everything in Hurricane Maria in 2017. When I moved to Buffalo, I came to continue my degree but through the paths of life, real-life factors, and financial needs, roads lead to a different pursuit. I can proudly say my approach to being a student has been of extreme value to me in my journey. I am currently participating in a program with the Small Business Center Development and Buffalo State College and am consistently looking to grow and expand my knowledge through workshops, mastermind alliances as well as mentors who have helped shape and guide my trajectory. I strongly believe learning from natural laws, art, and entrepreneurship in a combination with consistently reading books has made me a good student of life. 

3 What was your first or favorite job?  My favorite job before entrepreneurship was in the wireless and marketing industry, being part of the T-Mobile events and social media team. Hospitality was my least favorite. I started working at a very young age, I remember as early as 2008 selling toys, candy, and dinosaur figurines in elementary school, to bracelets and hair accessories as I expanded. Later, that translated to embroidery hats and tutoring programs in high school. All these different roles, fields, and experiences have helped shape my work ethic, ambition, and passion for solving problems through creative means such as beauty and loud self-expression in fashion.

4. What advice do you have for other Latinas people who want their voices to be heard in their community?  If you want to be heard you need to speak loudly, Mija.  What is your message? Once you find that, tell everyone. Tell the mail lady, the barista, and your dog; to make yourself heard safely, intentionally, and respectfully. To find the community you’re trying to serve and start giving what you once needed to see.  We spend so much time thinking of when we just need to combine purpose with desire.
5. What is your theory on human potential?  Every great human invention started with a thought. I believe we have the power of self-evolution, we can create, shape, and evolve into anything, as we possess endless potential. I think to reach that higher potential, you must open your mind to the idea of greatness. My theory is you can become anything as long as you’re clear with your message, intentions, and who you are trying to serve, it also serves to say my theory includes doing it with mindfulness, prayer, and establishing the right systems and habits that will boost accessing that higher potential. 
6. What experience do you have as a businessperson?  In addition to the prior experience described, I consider my experience characterized predominantly by entrepreneurship. A businessperson refers to those who offer products and services with existing ideas and an entrepreneur starts an enterprise with a new idea or concept and undertakes commercial activities.
7. How would you define a businessperson? To relay it with simplicity, my definition would be “one who successfully makes a living in the chosen path and can sustain, one who identifies a problem or need and finds a way to creatively solve it or deliver what is needed”. 

By definition, a businessperson refers to someone involved in a particular undertaking of commercial and industrial activities to generate revenue.

8.. Is there a local businessperson you look up to?  I admire and look up to both the businessperson and the entrepreneur who embraces a sustainable journey of success. Those who provide value to their community and serve with authenticity, kindness, and good intentions, those who are proactively solving problems. I’d say I have a special admiration for those that are parents and are still out there dreaming while taking care of their families. To me, that’s truly worth looking up to and it’s important to recognize. Even as I was making less, half the time doing more, while also possessing a unique skill set, including bilingual and translation services, I felt I was fortunate enough to even be there. Growing up with a lack of historical representation and knowledge, I perpetuated with ignorance the belief of inferiority, I wasn’t even aware of it through my youth and early adulthood.

9. How do you feel about the fact that Latinas are the most underpaid demographic in the US?  It truly infuriates me how it takes us almost 22 months to catch up to what white non-Hispanic men are paid in just one year. My jaw dropped with anger, and I could not believe reading the National Women’s Law Center’s report on the fact that it would take us more than 400 years to earn what a white male earned in a normal 4-year career. That is beyond insane and irrational to me. I was very unaware of this phenomenon even while I was experiencing it. Even as I was making less, half the time doing more, while also possessing a unique skill set, including bilingual and translation services, I felt I was fortunate enough to even be there. Growing up with a lack of historical representation and knowledge, I perpetuated with ignorance the belief of inferiority, I wasn’t even aware of it through my youth and early adulthood. We not only owe it to those who have advocated for us in the past and have paved the way till today, but we must also give it to those who are coming after us, our daughters, neighbors, and communities. We are not done fighting for equal rights. We must continue to pave the way because we are not done fighting to close this racial pay gap. After reviewing the last report on this matter, I’ll loudly say they can keep their two cents we are coming for the full dollar.